What Is The Age Of My House?

07 Feb 2007

How can you determine the age of a house, and more importantly, why would you want to?

The other day I was talking to a friend who is also starting a property investment venture. He’s only at the early stages; browsing through potential properties with his estate agent. He was shown this one particular property that he had taken a liking to. He was told the property was 4yrs old, but based on his observations, the fittings of the property looked like it had gone through more than 4yrs of punishment. The kitchen looked a little “dull”, as did the walls throughout the property. He didn’t confront the estate agent, but nonetheless he was suspicious.

Here are methods you can use to determine how old a property is:

1) Meter reader

Sometimes the meter reader will have a date installed on it- assuming that it hasn’t been upgraded since the original. Check the box for a date.

2) Ask the neighbours

Don’t be afraid to knock on a few neighbours doors and ask how old their property is. If their property looks exactly like yours, the odds are they were built at the same time.

3) Council

Your local council will have all the details regarding every property with in their region. Call them and find out when the property was built.

4) Architectural style

Look at the shape of the house, particularly the roof and the position of the windows. The style of the architecture will tell you a lot about the age of the property. Here’s a list of different styles, a great reference : architecture.about.com/library/bl-styles_index.htm

My friend decided to call the council, and it turns out the property was in fact 15yrs old. Estate Agents. 15 Reasons Why Estate Agents Are Idiots

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